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Irvington Superintendent Kristopher Harrison Discusses 2015-16 Calendar

IRVINGTON, N.Y. -- Dr. Kristopher Harrison, superintendent of schools for the Irvington Union Free School District, is discussing the school calendar for the 2015-16 year.

Dr. Kristopher Harrison

Dr. Kristopher Harrison

 Photo Credit: Contributed
by Kristopher Harrison

Good morning, staff and community members:

I am writing to share that on Tuesday, the Irvington Board of Education adopted the 2015-16 school calendar. I am taking this opportunity to share the calendar as it presents a few atypical situations and also introduces additional professional development opportunities for our faculty and staff.

First, scheduling for next year proved to be quite a challenge due to a number of unusual calendar quirks all coming together in one year:

  • A late Labor Day (Monday, Sept. 7).
  • The three fall Jewish holidays occur during the school week (Monday, Sept. 14, through Tuesday, Sept. 15, Wednesday, Sept. 23).
  • Easter and Passover being nearly one month apart.
  • New York state standardized testing scheduled to begin soon after Easter.

Therefore, students will return on Thursday, Sept. 3, and schools will be closed for Labor Day on Monday, Sept. 7.

The calendar also includes our traditional recess periods:

  • Holiday recess: Thursday, Dec. 24, through Sunday, Jan. 3.
  • Winter recess: Monday, Feb. 15, through Friday, Feb. 19.
  • Spring recess: Friday, March 25, through Friday, April 1.

It is also important to note that this year's calendar includes two delayed openings and two early-release days in order to provide our teachers with professional development. It is important to provide our faculty and staff with opportunities to collaborate with their peers as we continue to develop district curriculum that will enhance every student's learning experience. These new professional opportunities will allow for increased time to strengthen our programs and will help to reduce the need to remove teachers from the classroom during a normal school day. As it is equally important that our teachers be present in the classroom, we believe that this approach will satisfy both needs. 

You may find the approved calendar on the district's website or by clicking here.

Wishing you the best for the remainder of the school year.

Best Regards,

Kristopher Harrison, Ed.D.

Superintendent of Schools

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